Universe Lock Rewrite
by ElfIcarii
Summary: This is basically a badly needed rewrite and continuation of my original Universe Lock. The old version will be removed once this one's caught up. Summary: A girl gets hauled to M/E against her will, with hopefully a few new twists. Not a Mary-Sue!
1. Prologue

**A/N:** It has been so horribly long since I first wrote this story, that my writing style has changed drastically. So rather than pick up where I left off, I will rewrite it from the beginning.

I have realized, since the last I wrote here, that Universe Lock does not follow LOTR canon in the least. However, I cannot change it to fix this matter without completely changing the storyline...So please, bear with me as I borrow characters and places and leave much else by the wayside. After all, who is to say, if Middleearth exists in some other dimension, that the real one is anything like Tolkien recorded?...Forgive me, I think too much. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this rewrite. As always, I own nothing of Tolkien's, I only borrow from it heavily, I am making no money from this project, and please, review!

**Prologue**

Deep in the shadows, a figure moved. A ragged, once-rich cloak could be dimly seen about his shoulders, the hood doing little to conceal once-pointed ears. The figure shook as an evil-sounding laugh rose from his throat. His hand lifted a black sphere, darker than the spaces between the stars.

"So who shall it be, my master?" The figure looked deeper into the shadows, though there was no-one there.

A voice sounded from nowhere and everywhere, deep and dark. "I do not care, so long as it is a young female with no knowledge of our world. I want plenty of confusion when she comes here."

The cloaked man laughed, a half-mad shriek that cut through the air. "How would anyone there know of Middle-earth? Any girl will do!" He made a complicated gesture with his right hand, as with his left he hurled the sphere to the ground. It shattered, just as an ordinary blown glass ball would, and the omnipresent voice shrieked.

"You _fool!_ What have you done? You may have destroyed everything!"

The cloaked man cowered. "How, master? None there know of our world..."

"Some do, fool! One of that world came here, long ago, and documented some of our history. He took it back with him; undoubtedly many know of Middle-earth by now! If you chose one who does..."

"Forgive me, master! I did not know!" The cloaked figure's voice rose in terror, and he prostrated himself on the ground. "Please, is there any way I can repair my mistake?"

There was a brief period of silence. "You will destroy her. She must not meet the Prince of Mirkwood, if she knows of this world. If you are too late...Kill them both. Oh, and one more thing..."

The cloaked man swallowed audibly. "Yes, master?"

"If you fail..."

The voice had no need to continue. The man had a good idea the tortures that would await if he failed and lived.

"I will not fail you again, master."

"Go."

**A/N:** Again, please review! I do appreciate constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Next chapter! Hmm, if I keep up this pace all summer, I might even make some progress before school starts up again. At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy this story, and I hope my writing has improved in the intervening seven or so years since I first posted the original story. Enjoy, and please review!

**Chapter 1**

Kathara couldn't help but glare at the ground as she walked home from school, kicking at the pieces of gravel that had migrated onto the sidewalk. She felt like the note in her pocket contained a message that would spell her doom.

After class that morning, Kathara's chemistry teacher had stopped her and given her the note. She'd gotten similar notes in the past few weeks, and had simply not delivered them - However, this time he had promised that if he didn't hear back by the next morning, he would email her mother, so there was no avoiding it.

The problem was, Kathara's grade had dropped to a D+ in the months since Christmas. This was definitely not a good thing, not when you were a senior hoping to get into a good out-of-state college. She had tried to keep her grades up, she really had, but it seemed impossible. She just couldn't concentrate. Over the course of the last few months, her cat had been eaten by an owl, her best friend had moved two states away, and her parents had gotten divorced - which somehow, she had not seen coming. If she tried to escape into her books, or space out, her grades dropped even further. Kathara felt like there was no way out.

At least she wasn't being bothered by the rest of the kids at school. Truthfully, she could probably be fairly popular if she tried, and had been last year. But that wasn't what she wanted anymore. Kathara just wanted to get into a good college and become a scientist, or an author, or _something_ she could spend her life enjoying and being respected for.

Kathara brushed her auburn hair out of her face and considered digging her current book out of her backpack. She was currently re-reading the Lord of the Rings, her favorite books in the world. But although she could readily lose herself in the world of Frodo and the elves, it would only be putting off her problems. Kathara knew that if she couldn't get her grades up by June...and she almost certainly couldn't...then she almost certainly wouldn't get into one of the universities she wanted, and would be doomed to an uneducated, boring, normal, useless life. That was one thing she wouldn't be able to stand. She kicked at a piece of gravel extra hard and watched it go flying and hit a tree. Her mother had always said that trouble came in threes, and she hoped it was true, so that this would be the end of it. Maybe it would be followed by a phenomenal good luck streak, and she would get her grades up after all!

Cheered by this thought, she walked a little taller and faster, a half-smile beginning to form on her lips. So what if Liana had moved away? They might wind up at the same college anyway, and even if not, there was always email... Kathara's thoughts were interrupted by a splash and a suddenly wet sock. She looked down in surprise to find a fairly large puddle that she could've sworn wasn't there before. Why would there be a puddle there anyway? It hadn't rained in two weeks, and this stretch of sidewalk was too flat for water to collect in one spot...The redhead shifted her foot and winced. It felt like something had cut right through her shoe.

Bending over, Kathara carefully felt through the murky water. Whatever it was, it wouldn't do to leave it there for someone else to step on. It didn't take long for her fingers to encounter something smooth and sharp. She lifted it up, and was instantly fascinated by how dark the apparent shard of glass was. It was tear-shaped, and as dark as night, when clouds covered the sky and you were far from any city...whoever heard of glass like that? Still entranced, Kathara began to stand back up, only to be yanked off her feet as her backpack was torn off.

Kathara gave a short cry, scrambling backwards as she looked up, trying to see her attacker. Her eyes locked with those of the ugliest creature she had ever seen. Thoughts raced through her head, seeming to take over her mind and leave no room for reaction..._' What IS that?...I've never seen anything so ugly...claws, teeth...reaching for me...MOVE!'_

Breaking free from her shock, the Kathara threw her fist in the creatures face and used her momentum to roll over and start to stand. Before she could do more than reach her knees, a burning pain tore into her back. She couldn't differentiate the points of agony, but somewhere in the back of her mind, a thought ran through that those must be its claws. Screaming, Kathara kicked backwards. Hopefully she'd hit a knee or something - but even if she didn't, the motion thrust her forward and away. She began to run, but it grabbed her head, its hand like a vise, lifting her off the ground and carrying her back towards the puddle. She tried to punch the creature again, but it held her too far away...she couldn't reach...then her knees crashed painfully into the ground as she was suddenly forced down. She had no time to react as her head was slammed forward. Kathara could only tense for the impact as her head was forced down...

...into nothing.

**A/N: **I hope you liked it! And remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I update!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks to Albie and SongsOfSpring for the reviews! Here is the next chapter - Still not many changes, mainly stylistic, a few instances of expansion, and a touch more realism.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of Tolkien's work. I merely play with the characters and setting._

**Chapter 2**

There was nothing.

No impact. No shattered skull. Simply a sense of silence and stillness where her head was, and the continuing pain in her back where the creature had tried to grab her moments before.

Kathara opened her eyes, but it seemed to make no difference. There was only blackness. Frantic, wondering if she might be blinded, she looked every which direction, then down. Only, it felt like looking up - up through the 'puddle' she'd come through, to watch as the horrid creature continued to shove her through. Oddly, she could not feel anything on the other side of that interface, anymore than she could see anything besides herself on this side. Things seemed to be moving so slowly...Kathara reached upwards, trying to get out, but her creeping arm failed to reach the puddle before it closed, leaving her alone in the darkness.

Squashing her sense of horror at the situation, Kathara forced herself to take stock of her surroundings. As she had noted before, it was completely dark; no sound, no light, not even a sense of direction. If she couldn't tell up from down, that had to mean she was weightless here, wherever here was. Yet she had always heard that in space, you felt like you were falling - that was why weightlessness was called 'freefall'. There was no such sense of vertigo here, it was merely...an absence. Like there was nothing to fall to or through. Kathara suppressed a shudder, and, desperate for some sort of reference point, licked a finger to test the air for wind. There was nothing. The darkness, the absence of everything, was complete.

Or was it? Kathara realized she could see a pinpoint of light in the distance, seeming to call to her like a beacon of hope. She reoriented herself so she was facing it more exactly, then started making swimming motions, hoping to move closer. It didn't take long for her to figure out that she was moving towards it, whether she swam or not, and her motions made no difference as to the speed. It occurred to her that it could just as easily be moving towards her as the other way around; without reference points, it was impossible to tell which was the case.

Why waste energy she might need later? If the other end of this strange journey was as violent as the beginning, she'd need the energy for later anyway. Kathara let herself drift, and decided to use this time to check how bad the wounds were, and try to bandage them if necessary. As if on cue, the pain she had almost forgotten roared to the forefront of her attention once more, but as more of a dull, persistent throb than the sharp, tearing pain that there had been before. Biting her lip, Kathara reached gingerly over her shoulder...or tried to. A hiss of pain escaped her suddenly clenched teeth as the skin and muscle of her back stretched painfully with her movement. Deciding to change tactics, she twisted her arm up behind her back - from the bottom, this time - and gingerly touched the back of her shirt. It felt sticky at the ragged edges where it had been torn, and there were great lumpy clots all over her skin in the area, but no fresh blood seemed to be seeping through.

Kathara gave a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't die of blood loss, and she didn't even seem to need immediate bandaging, though she should probably get it seen to as soon as things returned to normal. After all, soldiers in the old days, and probably even now, kept fighting with worse wounds and survived. She'd be just fine, she was sure.

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed since Kathara had passed through...whatever that puddle really was. Glancing 'ahead', she saw that the light, while larger, still seemed a ways away. She decided to inventory her pockets, see if she had anything useful. If nothing else, it would be nice to know her options.

Digging through folded papers stuffed in her pocket - including that teacher's note that had seemed so dooming a short time ago - she found a paperclip, some chapstick, her wallet with her driver's license, library card, and five dollars and thirty five cents. Then her finger poked a sharp edge...pulling the object out, she could dimly see that it was the same piece of glass she'd found in the 'puddle'. Kathara was sure she'd dropped it. How had it gotten in her pocket? She peered closer, trying to inspect it, but it was useless. The intensely black glass was almost invisible in this dark place.

Replacing the glass in her pockets, Kathara looked up to gauge the distance to her goal - only to discover the point of light had become an enormous ball, racing towards her with the speed and force of an out-of-control semi-truck! She threw up her arms and closed her eyes against the bright light, bracing for impact...

**THUMP.**

_'That...didn't feel like a huge ball.'_ Kathara remained tense for a moment. _'That...felt more like grass. And like three feet instead of who-knows-how-far.'_ Still tense, she sat up and looked around.

It _was_ grass. And she wasn't even bruised. In fact...after checking for broken bones, Kathara twisted her arm up and checked her back to find it unharmed and even the cloth unbroken. Though...it felt strange...

Abruptly, Kathara sprang to her feet, realizing that she was no longer wearing the the jeans and t-shirt she'd put on that morning. In fact, she wasn't wearing an outfit she remembered ever owning. In her original outfit's place was a dark green, ankle-length dress of a simple style. If anything, it seemed to be made of fine-spun wool. She had no shoes, much less socks. And no pockets. Instead, she found she was wearing a thin, braided leather belt, from which hung a leather pouch. It was empty. Then where was her wallet? The paperclip, the funny glass? She dropped to her knees and searched the grass, hoping they hadn't disappeared with her jeans. She quickly found the bit of glass, but the rest of her things seemed to be gone. Sighing, Kathara almost threw away the bit of glass, but something about it caught her eye.

It was changing. It was as if...it were gathering darkness. It grew darker and darker around the bit of glass, until she could no longer see it. Then a fine, black powder began to fall from it, disappearing before it touched the grass. The darkness faded, and what remained no longer seemed like glass. Glass-like, yes, but it was definitely stone now, like obsidian only darker. And it had been rounded - no longer of a flat tear-shape, it was now a whole tear, with the only sharp bit at the point. It was maybe an inch long and less than half that thick at the widest point. Obviously, this was no normal bit of...whatever. She'd found it in the puddle; maybe it was the key to get back home. Kathara carefully put it in the pouch at her hip and tied it closed securely.

That taken care of, Kathara looked around, really seeing her surroundings for the first time. She was in a meadow, green grass dotted with golden flowers, edged in tall, silvery trees the like of which she'd never seen before. Somehow, it reminded her of the games she and Liana had used to play as children, herself playing an elf named Kenturiel and her friend, as Arwen. But those woods had been full of pines and douglas firs - certainly nothing like this! As Kathara ran her hand over her head, confused, she found her hair in a braid, instead of the ponytail it had been in before. Evidently it was not only her clothes that had been changed without her knowledge or consent. Irritated, she pulled back her hand, brushing the tip of her pointed ear.

Pointed?

Kathara hurriedly felt both ears to be sure. Yes, they definitely came to delicate _points_. Not rounded.

All of a sudden, everything fell into place in her mind. Pointed ears, green dress, no shoes - she was now an elf. The gruesome humanoid monster forcing her here - that _had_ to be an orc. Silver trees - what could they be but Mallorns? Combine that with the golden flowers, and this had to be Lothlorien, of Middle-earth.

Except that wasn't possible.

Kathara didn't realize her knees had given way until she hit the ground with a thump. Rubbing her behind, she started some serious thinking. _'This can't be real. Everything points to Middle-earth, but that's just a story. A book. Well multiple books actually, but that's beside the point...the point being this can't be real. I must've been knocked out when my head hit the concrete under the puddle. Except that would mean the orc was real, and that can't be true either.'_

She pondered. _'Schizophrenia usually appears in early adulthood...maybe the stress of the last few months triggered a psychotic break and now I'm crazy? Except the insane don't question their sanity...Maybe today never happened and I'm still asleep? That's possible, though this is pretty detailed for a dream. So, three options: I've gone over the deep end, this is a dream, or it's somehow all real. If it's the first, eventually they'll figure it out and drag me off to the loony bin and put me on drugs. Not much I can do about that. If it's a dream, I'll eventually wake up. Not much I can do about that either. However...if this is real...I could die if I think of it as a dream. So...however unlikely...I have no choice but to treat this as real...'_

Looking up, Kathara saw that the sun wasn't far from its zenith. She couldn't tell whether it was morning or afternoon, but it was near lunch time, and she was hungry. Philosophical conundrum somewhat resolved, she decided it was time to find some civilization. Even elves couldn't live without food, after all.

She picked a direction at right angles to the sun's path, and started out, hoping to find a trail or a road that would lead her to people.

Three hours later, Kathara had a whole new appreciation for the difficulty of Frodo's journey. In an ordinary girl's life in a small town, such as her home, there wasn't much in the way of distance walking - just the fifteen minute walk to school, really. After a couple hours of steady walking with no sign of a trail or a person, Kathara was exhausted. She decided to stop for a short break, and flopped down on a patch of soft grass.

That's when she heard the noise. Something, or someone, was crashing through the underbrush from the direction she had come, and as it grew nearer, she could hear what sounded like deep voices bellowing. Kathara crawled over to one of the enormous trees and peered around the wide bole of its trunk to watch.

It was a group of orcs. Kathara didn't stop to count - she simply took off running as fast as she could, leaping fallen trees and racing through the clearer areas beneath the trees. An orc had sent her here, and these were coming from the same direction she had - it was reasonable to assume they were tracking her. She glanced back - despite the fact she was running faster than she ever had before, they were gaining on her. Kathara's breath began to come in gasps that tore at her throat. She didn't scream; she couldn't spare the air.

Suddenly, hoofbeats sounded ahead of her. Terrified, Kathara turned sharply at right angles, sure they were after her as well...

...and smacked her head against a low-hanging branch.

Holding her ringing head, Kathara managed to stumble on a few more feet before she fell into the swirling darkness of unconsciousness.

**A/N:** I hope you liked the changes! They get more obvious and involved next chapter...and next chapter, finally, Legolas will appear! As always, reviews make me write faster, so please, drop a note to tell me what you thought!


End file.
